A large percentage of today's children and adult population undergoes orthodontic treatments at some point in their lives to treat malocclusions (i.e. crooked teeth leading to poor bite) or improve skeletal abnormalities. Because growth and development of adult teeth is generally stagnant, treatment of malocclusions in adults requires reliance on the dento-alveolar element, e.g. the ability of teeth to move when a sufficient inflammatory response is created in the jaw.
The most common method of creating movement in teeth is through the use of braces. The braces include wires and other tensioning devices, such as rubber bands and coils or removable trays, that exert a continuous force on the tooth to move the tooth to a desired location. The use of braces to cause tooth movement, however, takes on average 18-24 months and can take up to 3-4 years, often causing both social and physical discomfort. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a treatment method that could successfully move a tooth or teeth in a shorter period of time.